Handgrip unit for rubber stamps



Aug.

W. K. MUNSON HANDGRIP UNIT FOR RUBBER STAMPS Filed Nov. 1, 1965 INVENTOR. WHITNEY K MUNSON United States Patent 3,269,309 HANDGRIP UNIT FOR RUBBER STAMPS Whitney K. Manson, Rumson, NJ. (192 Comanche Drive, Qceanport, NJ.) Filed Nov. 1, 1965, Ser. No. 505,788 8 Claims. (Cl. 101-406) This invention relates to rubber stamps of various types and kinds. More particularly, the invention deals with a handgrip unit constituting an article of manufacture and adapted to be mounted in connection with the block or body portion of a stamp and, wherein, the handgrip proper of the unit employs a plunger-like as well as substantially universal action or movement with respect to the socket of the uit, as Well as the stamp body portion mounted in connection with the unit.

Still more particularly, the invention deals with a unit of the character described, wherein the plunger employs an elliptical head movably supported in the socket and a coil spring or the like mounted in the plunger and operatively engaging the socket or a bottom plate thereon and, further, wherein said bottom plate includes means providing a wearing surface engaged by the coil spring, as well as means extending into the coupling pin of the socket for reinforcing the coupling of the unit with the stamp body portion.

The novel features of the invention will be best understood from the following description, when taken together with the accompanying drawing, in which certain embodiments of the invention are disclosed and, in which, the separate parts are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views and, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a rubber stamp incorporating one of my handgrip units, with parts of the construction broken away and in section.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section on the line 44 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the head of the plunger detached.

In illustrating one adaptation and use of my improved handgrip unit, I have shown at the block or body portion of a stamp element, having the usual rubber pad 11 secured to the lower surface thereof, including the characterizations of the pad, which are diagrammatically outlined at 12. The block 10 has, centrally of the upper surface thereof, an aperture 13 facilitating attachment of one of my improved handgrip units 14 with the block 10.

The unit 14 comprises a handgrip 15, the enlarged head 16 of which has a flat surface 17, the latter controlling the arrangement of the block 1'0 for proper transfer of the type characters 12 upon a surface to be printed, as with other stamp devices.

The handgrip has a longitudinal *bore 18 for the reception of a rod or plunger 19, the plunger having, at its lower end, an enlarged crosshead 20, generally of the elliptical form, illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawing, the peripheral surfaces of the crosshead being rounded, as clearly noted at 21 in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing. The form of the crosshead serves to key the handgrip 15 and maintain the surface 17 in proper relation to the stamp body 10. The lower portion of the plunger 19 is slightly enlarged in diameter to form a shoulder 22, upon which the lower end of the handgrip seats, as clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. The plunger 19 has an elongated bore 23, which can be slightly tapered or flared downwardly. However, the lower end of the bore terminates in an abruptly flared portion 24, providing for free movement of the lower end portion of a coil spring 25 mounted in the bore 23 and projecting beyond the lower end of the crosshead 20.

At 26 I have shown the socket of the unit 14, the

socket in the construction shown being round, as clearly shown in FIG. 4. The upper portion of the socket has centrally an aperture 27, larger in diameter than the portion of the plunger 19 adjacent the crosshead 20, as clearly seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. Below the aperture 27, the socket has a chamber 28 conforming in cross-sectional contour generally to the contour of the elliptical crosshead 20, so that, when the unit is in normal position, the crosshead 20 seats upon the upper portion of the chamber 28 and is supported the-re by the coil spring 25.

The socket 26 includes a bottom wall 29 closing the lower portion of the chamber 28. In the construction shown, this bottom wall 29 is in the form of a plate secured to the lower surface of the socket 26 by screws 30, as clearly noted in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawing. The socket 26 can be formed in different manners, particularly when formed of plastic material, as illustrated by the sectioning in the accompanying drawing. In other words, the socket can be composed of two half-discs, rather than the round disc, as shown, and these half-discs can be cemented together. With this type of construction, the bottom wall 29 would be formed as integral parts of the half-discs. A structure of this type and kind is illustrated in a prior application filed by me and later to be identified by serial number and filing date. The bottom wall or plate 29 includes an integral coupling pin 31 which is adapted to be snugly positioned in the aperture 13 of the block 10 and cemented or otherwise secured thereto. In the construction shown, this coupling pin 31 is reinforced by a stud 32, having a flat upper head 33, the flat head being arranged upon the upper surface of the bottom wall or plate 29, as clearly shown. This flat head forms a reinforcing bearing surface, upon which the lower end of the coil spring 25 seats and operates in the use of the stamp.

With handgrip units of the type and kind under consideration, it will appear that the handgrip 15 of the unit 14 has a universal tilting movement with respect to the socket 26, so that, in the event that the stamp approaches a surface with the block 10 angularly disposed with respect to such surface, the handgrip of the unit, including the plunger 19, will assume an angular position, as indicated by the diagrammatic dotted line showing in FIG. 3, wherein part of the plunger is illustrated at 19 and the crosshead is illustrated at 20. This action takes place as the handgrip and plunger are depressed in the socket 26 in applying pressure upon the block 10 to properly apply the characters 12 upon the surface to be printed. It will be understood that the angular movement is checked by engagement of the plunger 19 with the upper end of the aperture 27, as seen at 19 in FIG. 3, and further engagement of the crosshead 20 with the wall of the chamber 28, as seen at 20 in said figure. In the above described striking or blow action of the hand stamp, it will be apparent that the spring 25 or other resilient means will be compressed and, upon completion of the operation, this same resilient means will return the parts to the position shown in full lines in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawing.

In connection with the above described operation of the hand stamp, quite often, in excessive continued operation of devices of this type and kind, the printing or stamping operations are performed at a high rate of speed. In this type of stamping, it is substantially impossible to always bring the surface of the characterized portion 12 into parallelism with the surface to be printed. Without the universal action provided by my unit, an improper or inaccurate engagement will result in a smearing of the imprint or failure to provide a perfect imprint, in other words, with part of the characterizations hardly visible to the observer. It will also be apparent that the same result is attained in striking the hand stamp on an inking pad, thus assuring perfect inking of all characterizations on the portion 12. In actual experience and, particularly, in the fast operations noted above, perfect imprints have been performed, which are clear and lack smudging by use of units of the type and kind defined.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In rubber hand stamps of the character defined, a handgrip unit for attachment to a stamp body, said unit comprising a socket having a chamber therein, a plunger including a crosshead arranged in the chamber of the socket, the plunger having an elongated bore opening through said crosshead, yieldable means arranged in said bore and extending into the chamber of the socket and engaging a bottom wall of said chamber in normal support of the crosshead of the plunger in raised position in'said chamber, a handgrip mounted on said plunger, said mounting of the handgrip and plunger with respect to the socket providing universal tilting movement of the plunger and handgrip with respect to said socket, and the lower end of the socket having means for mounting the same in connection with a stamp body.

2. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 1, wherein the crosshead is generally elliptical in form, and the peripm eral surface of the crosshead being rounded.

3. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 1, wherein the 4- l-ower portion of the bore of said plunger is abruptly flared for free movement of the resilient means within the chamber of said socket.

4. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 3, wherein said resilient means comprises a coil spring.

5. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 4, wherein the bottom wall of the socket includes a reinforcing disc forming a bearing seat for said coil spring.

6. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 5, wherein said disc constitutes part of a stud extending into and reinforcing the socket mounting means.

7. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 6, wherein said socket mounting means comprises a pin integral with the bottom wall of the socket.

8. A handgrip unit as defined in claim 1, wherein the bottom wall of the socket comprises a bottom plate secured to the socket, said last named means comprising a pin integral with the bottom plate, and means for reinforcing said pi-n.

ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN RUBBER HAND STAMPS OF THE CHARACTER DEFINED, AT HANDGRIP UNIT FOR ATTACHMENT TO SAID STAMP BODY, SAID UNIT COMPRISING A SOCKET HAVING A CHAMBER THEREIN, A PLUNGER INCLUDING A CROSS HEAD ARRANGED IN THE CHAMBER OF THE SOCKET, THE PLUNGER HAVING AN ELONGATED BORE OPENING THROUGH SAID CROSSHEAD, YIELDABLE MEANS ARRANGED IN SAID BORE AND EXTENDING INTO THE CHAMBER OF THE SOCKET AND ENGAGING A BOTTOM WALL OF SAID CHAMBER IN NORMAL SUPPORT OF THE CROSSHEAD OF THE PLUNGER IN RAISED POSITION IN SAID CHAMBER, A HANDGRIP MOUNTED ON SAID PLUNGER, SAID MOUNTING OF THE HANDGRIP AND PLUNGER WITH RESPECT TO THE SOCKET PROVIDING UNIVERSAL TILTING MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER AND HANDGRIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID SOCKET, AND THE LOWER END OF THE SOCKET HAVING MEANS FOR MOUNTING THE SAME IN CONNECTION WITH A STAMP BODY. 